Van..coo..ooo..ver

Oh, sorry. I’m still singing that song from the closing ceremonies tonight. I kept thinking there was probably a less repetitive way to have those white snowboarders salute their host city, but I quibble. The truth is I really enjoyed the evening, starting with NBC’s round up show, which was sort of a Cliffs Notes of the Olympics.

I loved seeing the highlights of Bode, Shaun, Evan, Apolo and Lindsey doing their thing – full-blown cultural icons now. And a big hat tip to Sid the Kid (amazing hockey game), Joannie Rochette and Kim Yu-Na. I still need to be convinced that ice dancing is a sport and I could live without one more commercial for Jerry Seinfeld’s “Marriage Ref,” but all in all it was a great event with so many memorable moments. Just one question about this.

When the athletes walk around holding little cameras, video or otherwise, what do they hope to get? How can their images not be blurry, tiny, not worth the trouble? Oh, and who knew William Shatner was Canadian?

So now that the Super Bowl is over and the Olympics are over and the Oscars will be over a week from tonight (the equivalent of the Super Bowl for me), there will be Yankees baseball. In less than two weeks I’ll be in Florida getting my first look at Grandy and the other newbies, not to mention the returning crew. Girardi hasn’t announced the starting pitchers for the games I’ll be going to but it doesn’t matter. Just being there will be a thrill. Before I get to Tampa, I’m speaking at the Blake Library in Stuart (on the east coast of Florida) on Saturday, March 13th. The event is called Baseball @ the Blake, and I’ll be there to talk about the She-Fan book along with Lew Paper, the author of “Perfect: Don Larsen’s Miraculous World Series Game and the Men Who Made It Happen.” Here’s the blurb from the Blake’s online bulletin.

2:30pm Jane Hell er, Confessi ons of a She-Fan

Popular and prolific author Jane Heller

will discuss her first nonfiction book,

Confessions of a She-Fan: The Course

of True Love with the New York

Yankees, a chick-lit look at baseball, love

and marriage. In search of answers and

hoping to inject some excitement into her

marriage, she literally followed the Bronx

Bombers with her husband through the rest of

their challenging 2007 season. Books will be available for

sale and signing following her talk.

If anyone’s in the area on the 13th, I hope you’ll stop by and say hello. I’m supposed to speak for 30 minutes. Any suggested talking points?

After the library gig, it’ll be on to Tampa and spring training. I’d be remiss if I didn’t say farewell (unless nobody picks him up) to Edwar Ramirez, who was DFA-ed to make room for Chan Ho Park. Edwar was….Well, let’s just say he had a good change-up. Best of luck to you, Edwar, and may you put some meat on those bones.

33 Comments

Stuart! I remember Stuart from the times I went to Vero Beach!
Have fun Jane! My friends and I will be driving to Arizona on Friday and coming back on Monday.
Let us know when you have an event closer to the LA area. I noticed in the LA Times today that the LA Times festival will be April 24 and 25.
Emmahttp://crzblue.mlblogs.com/

Right, Emma. Stuart is just south of Vero and Port St. Lucie. I know you’ll have a great time in AZ. I’m not doing the LA Times festival this year. No new book out. I did enjoy going in the past though.

It’s always hard when you get into watching an event over a period of time and then it’s over, just like that, Mimi. I feel that way after the World Series every year! This Olympics was a good one. My only beef was NBC’s coverage, which left those of us on the west coast having to wait for tape delayed broadcasts every night.

We definitely enjoyed the closing show from Canada; especially Michael Buble (or Mikey Bubbles as my daughter and I call him) – but was there something weird about the timing ?? It seemed like there was bit of a delay – I’m also not sure if the vocal performers were pre-recorded or not. The hockey game was very exciting – it was sad to see USA lose but hockey is the home sport for Canada – it would be as if MLB All-Stars played baseball against Japan. And seeing the Americans looking so unhappy as they received their silver medals – in all the other competitions those who won silver were nearly as elated as the gold medal winners. But I guess the medals came so soon after the loss that they couldn’t help but still be sad.

I thought the Seinfeld show was very entertaining and unique. I think the host was a comedian toat used to work the clubs with Jerry before he became a star. He was a breath of fresh air.

Your topic for March 13th, Jane? How about baseball as an analogy for life. Its what we used in raising our daughter and I’m certain there are a lot of lessons that could be used in marriage as well. Hope it goes well…and come to NY soon!!!

Really good Olympics – very exciting all around, especially the hockey game. Don’t know why you’re not convinced about ice dancing as a sport. There are lifts and spins and little jumps, and it’s at least as much a sport as rhythmic gymastics (how do you feel about that one?). It was wonderful to see the Canadians all proudly singing their national anthem so often (ok, maybe not so much yesterday afternoon). It is a catchy tune, eh? I was a little concerned hearing how long it took the Russian chorus to sing their anthem at the closing ceremonies last night. We could be in for a long 14 nights in Soshi. Neil Young sounded quite good.
Funny – the Oscars are your Super Bowl. They’re my national holiday. I’m looking forward to seeing what Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin do as hosts.
Jane

Ah, life…so full of so many little ironies…
Au revoir to the ‘Lympix — didn’t watch closing ceremonies, as we were burned out in our Man-Cave from watching the hockey…you know my inner conflict well by now…let me xplain that as a Toronto-born boy, hockey was like my first girl…first kiss…first love…before I grew up and got married to Baseball. But still…
Who to root for — never such turmoil — went into the game planning to root for USA, but seeing those Maple Leafs on the unis, oh, couldn’t quite do it — thought it was gonna work out — all I asked was, “If Canada wins, PLEEZ don’t let CROSBY have ANYTHING to do with it.”
That nite, the local newscaster said: “Well, if you’re an American and a Capitals fan, this was a bad day for you.” Crosby scoring the winning goal ruined any thrill for me (in the NHL, he is our SWORN ARCH-ENEMY in D.C.) — and maybe it’s appropriate that I’m not allowed to savor.
Now, back to my “Bride,” beisbol — ah Jane, can’t believe that we leave for Fla. tomorrow, and come back before you get there…life just ain’t fair sometimes…I’d think that you’d have the subject of ‘Fans Around America’ woven into your talking points, as fascinating as they are…hey, just look at all of US!!…will miss youse guys, hope to blog in sometime from an empty computer room at Dear Old Mum’s Retirement Center…’til then, let’s all lay back and dig on some Yankee baseball!!

Ha ha Ladyjane, I thought the exact same thing about that Russian anthem. Good thing they didn’t win too many gold medals, or we’d still be waiting for the ceremonies to end.

I’m always sad when the Olympics end, after spending so much time with them. The hockey game was amazing! Both teams played so well.

During it I realized that one of the reasons I love baseball is that it is just the right speed. Hockey is so fast it’s hard to keep track of. Soccer (the real football) you have to watch all the time or you miss stuff. (Plus I’m always exhausted by the end because I’m constantly moving my foot or leaning to “help.”) Football has all those time outs. But baseball, you can relax and watch. Can’t wait!!!!

There was a lot to like in the Olympics and I have to say, I think my favorite was the short track speed skating. You need skill, strength, and luck to win that. What a crazy sport!
Melissa

I thought the American hockey team played their best and had nothing to be ashamed of, Diane. It was a terrific game. While I understand their sadness at the silver medal, having just lost in a heartbreaker, I hope they’ll see how proud they made us. And you’re right: hockey IS Canada. It felt right that they won on their home soil. I didn’t see the Seinfeld show – the schedule was completely different on the west coast. I was just referring to the commercials. I’ll check it out on Thursday when it airs in its regular slot. Baseball is an analogy for life in many ways. I’ll try to incorporate that in my talk!

Ladyjane, my beef with ice dancing as a sport is the dancing, I guess. I know the skaters are athletes and they train as hard as anybody. It’s just that watching couples dance reminds me too much of…well…couples dancing! lol. I love the Canadian national anthem. It’s much easier to sing than ours and very catchy. The Russian one, on the other hand, could indeed make Soshi a trial. Oh, so I have another Oscars buddy? I can’t wait! There’s actually some suspense this year in a few categories, and I think Baldwin and Martin should be funny hosts. Hope so.

Hmm. So I should just talk about Mo for 1/2 hour, Jeff? Don’t you think people will flee the room in droves? Especially if they’re not Yankee fans? I guess we’ll find out because how can I not talk about my love for him!

Aw, that’s sweet, Jenn. Wish you were going to be there. At least I’d have one person clapping.

Dave, it must have been especially torturous for you watching that hockey game. All those divided loyalties! Such drama! I will certainly talk about fans across America in my talk. I’ll go into some detail about this blog and all the kindred spirits I’ve met here. Hear that, everybody? I’ll be naming names! I’m sorry we’ll miss you in Florida but I hope your trip goes well and you have a chance to check in from time to time. Safe travels.

I like hockey a lot, Melissa, but I have the same problem you do: it’s so fast! And unlike basketball, it’s not made for television. I’ve always had trouble following the puck, despite better camera work over the years. Among the things I love about baseball is the leisurely pace of the game. I can do laundry and not miss much!

Dear Melissa,
Wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your Karaoke Suggestions for the Yankees last weekend…they were GREAT…in fact, I did reply, but sometimes my comments get eaten by a very fussy “blog server”(?) or whatever it is that controls these things…
Tried to add a couple to your list, which really needs no additions…but here’s what I remember…
— maybe “See See Rider” for you-know-who?\
— or “New Kid In Town” for Grandy?
— “The Boys Are Back In Town” might fit Swish
— “That Old Black Magic” — maybe for Mo?
— “Do It Again” for Joe & The Coaches
— and maybe a special duet for Jeet & Minka, like…

Dear Melissa,
Wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your Karaoke Suggestions for the Yankees last weekend…they were GREAT…in fact, I did reply, but sometimes my comments get eaten by a very fussy “blog server”(?) or whatever it is that controls these things…
Tried to add a couple to your list, which really needs no additions…but here’s what I remember…
— maybe “See See Rider” for you-know-who?\
— or “New Kid In Town” for Grandy?
— “The Boys Are Back In Town” might fit Swish
— “That Old Black Magic” — maybe for Mo?
— “Do It Again” for Joe & The Coaches
— and maybe a special duet for Jeet & Minka, like…

Dear Melissa,
Wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your Karaoke Suggestions for the Yankees last weekend…they were GREAT…in fact, I did reply, but sometimes my comments get eaten by a very fussy “blog server”(?) or whatever it is that controls these things…
Tried to add a couple to your list, which really needs no additions…but here’s what I remember…
— maybe “See See Rider” for you-know-who?\
— or “New Kid In Town” for Grandy?
— “The Boys Are Back In Town” might fit Swish
— “That Old Black Magic” — maybe for Mo?
— “Do It Again” for Joe & The Coaches
— and maybe a special duet for Jeet & Minka, like…

Dave, I knew you’d love Melissa’s songs. The only trouble with your list is they already play “The Boys Are Back in Town” at the Stadium when the Yankees open a home stand after being on the road. Don’t they?

What a great idea about the She-Fan Cam, Randy. I’ll be bringing it for the spring training games, but maybe I should have it at my library gig and interview people there too. Excellent suggestion.

You must have been overjoyed to see the boys on ESPN yesterday, Barbara. It’s amazing how just a glimpse of them brings us right back into the magical world. Yes, the start of the season is closer now. Your joy is coming!

i turned on baseball tonight yesterday afternoon and there sat cc and joba and swish with bernie and a band off to the side. i started laughing with joy when i heard the yankees talk. i was giddy. i called my dad and said turn on espn and hung up. he called back and i said can’t talk, i need to hear the boys. i have done remarkably well without baseball this off season but just getting a touch of yankees and i realized how desperately i missed it. how much complete joy they give me (and angst) and how much i miss that joy that only winning yankees gives me.
i watch the jzay highlight video and the jon sterling highlight video when i need a dose but i need live baseball and it’s so close i can taste it and smell it.
joy is around the corner! barbara

So I’m not big into the Olympics… glad it’s over really… not sure a sport is a sport if someone else has to decide how good yu are and give you points, there’s too much room for favoritism…. good luck with speech in Florida, I’d suggest all good things about the Phillies, but that probably goes against your book…
~peter
Outside the Phillies Looking Inhttp://devilabrit.mlblogs.com

Based on that blurb from Blake’s Bulletin, I hope you’ll spend the first few minutes in glowing praise of your husband, even if you have to make it up.

If he’s there with you, maybe he could start out wearing a brown suit (happens to be what I wore to work today) and sometime during your talk he could go through a few wardrobe changes, ending up in something from Elvis’s old Vegas costumes or Yankee pinstripes. — But please, no speedo.

Jojovanb, I’ll do plenty of talking about my husband – both because he’ll be there and is a big part of the book and because people in Stuart know him (we used to live there). Not to worry about the speedo. LOL.

Thanks for the vote of confidence about my library talk, Melissa. I wish you could be there. The Benson book sounds wonderful and definitely worth checking out. Maybe for the long plane ride?

Vero WAS Dodgertown, behindblueyes, so I can understand why you loved going there. I used to drive up and it’s such a pretty spot. I’ve never been to a spring training game in Arizona, but I imagine the atmosphere would be a little different. And yes, opening day is just around the corner! Yay!

HAHA, Paul. Edwar the enforcer. The Yankees have now lost two enforcers because Shelley Duncan is gone too. I guess the job does fall to Pena. LOL.

Thanks to everyone for the kind comments about my Yankee playlist.
Dave, when the blog monster was eating your words, I thought you were going to suggest “Goin’ to the Chapel.” Maybe their song could be “let’s give ’em somethin’ to talk about.”

Jane, your talk will be great. You’re very funny and know so much about baseball and the Yankees! I’ll bet the place is filled with Yankee fans. Wish I could be there. You can just tell them about the blog!

I also love the fact that you can do other things when baseball is on. If the pitcher isn’t pitching fantastic, but no one is on base, you can do other stuff. But get a guy on and it’s time to focus.

After everyone goes out and buys Jane’s book, another wonderful baseball book is “The Game: A Man, Nine Innings, A Love Affair with Baseball” by Robert Benson.

Here’s an excerpt:

Baseball is about leaving home, and going to a place where home is far away, and then doing the things you must to get home again, some of them simple and routine, some of them occasionally heroic and glorious.

I think it’s time for me to read some more baseball books!!! Soon the games will be on and I won’t have time.
Melissa

Jane, have fun. I miss Grapefruit League action. I loved the vibe every time I went to games in Vero Beach, but it’s a whole different atmosphere in Arizona. Not that it’s bad at all being able to drive over several times every March. 🙂 Just different. Anyway, I’m so tired of waiting around for the rest of the country to warm up so we can have MLB back. Just one more month now! 🙂

One of these days I will be able to hear you during one of your speaking engagements. I feel so lucky that I actually met you!!!
I hope to see you again during the Dodgers/ Yankees games.http://catlovesthedodgers.mlblogs.com

One of these days, Cat. I feel lucky to have met you too. I really hope to see you during the Yanks/Dodgers series in June. At the moment I’m planning to go to the Saturday game but haven’t bought tix yet.

Jane,
Wish I could get to Stuart that day, but the Rays have a charity event at 6pm on Saturday in Port Charlotte I have been invited to cover (can you believe it).
But got to tell you, Canada put the exclamation point on these Olympics with that goal by Sidney Crosby to take the Gold Sunday afternoon.
The reason Canada got the highest total in Winter Olympic history is because of the great motivation by the host country and the courage showed by several of their outstanding athletes.
Makes you realize why this region is considered “Hollywood North” and is the third largest movie and film location in North America.
And the food there is not bad either.

I wish you could be there too, Renegade, but how exciting that you’ll be covering the Rays’ charity event. Woohoo! One of these days I’ll get to Vancouver. Would love to see the city for myself since it looked so appealing on TV.

Hi, Harold. I’m so excited that you’re driving up to Stuart for the library talk! I wish Barbara could be there too, but I’m honored that you’re taking the time to come. Bring some friends so we can fill up those seats! And by all means, wear your Yankees gear!

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